


Serious

by asoulofstars



Series: A Mess You Would Wear With Pride [11]
Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Communication, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Insecurities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asoulofstars/pseuds/asoulofstars
Summary: Uncle Jack's sudden return and just as quick disappearance leads to some questions.
Relationships: Shawn Spencer/Original Female Character(s), Shawn Spencer/Riona Gallagher
Series: A Mess You Would Wear With Pride [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028376
Kudos: 2





	Serious

**Author's Note:**

> Tag to "The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable". Shawn & Henry's conversation at Red Robin made me think about how Henry sometimes hits Shawn's insecurities.

Riona wasn’t necessarily surprised when she saw Shawn’s name pop up on her phone. She accepted the call and brought the phone up to her ear.

“What are you up to?” she asked.

“Heading to Red Robin with Gus. Wanted to invite you. We can pick you up if you want,” he replied.

“Oooh, I could go for some Red Robin’s. I’m in.” Riona wiggled her fingers at the thought of a Royal Red Robin Burger.

“Great, see you soon.” Shawn hung up.

Riona waited for the Blueberry to roll up, and she felt her heart swell when it did. Shawn and Gus were two of her favorite people, and the sight of them in Gus’ car never failed to make her feel at home.

“So, what’s with the impromptu Red Robin trip?” she asked.

“Did Lassie and Jules tell you nothing about what’s been going on?” Shawn replied.

Riona shook her head. “I’ve been buried with cold cases.”

“Make any progress?” Gus inquired.

“Yes, I did. Forensic techniques have improved since these cases were originally investigated, and I was able to narrow down missing persons and properly give identifications.” She also spent most of her free time working on cold cases when she didn't have an active case. No one should have to go without answers. And so many cold cases were cold because they were forgotten about over time. So, anything that had a John or Jane Doe, or anything she still had access to the bodies, she would work on herself.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Gus said.

Riona smiled. “Thank you! It’s nice when I can help with cold cases.”

“Well, you’re going to do some more work today, though it’ll be on the anthropology side of things,” Shawn said.

“What?” Riona blinked and poked at the psychic detective.

“Gus and I want to make a donation to a museum, but we need it authenticated first. Who better to do that then our own anthropologist?” He beamed at her.

Riona smiled back. It was nice to be included when there weren’t dead bodies. Shawn was good at remembering that the non-death part of anthropology was a passion for her, too, and going out of his way to include her in things. Granted, she had practically materialized to offer assistance with the case of the missing mummy at the museum, but he gladly took her input on the case and made her part of his team. But, going back further than that, he had been the one to invite her out when he was going to unearth dinosaur bones, because he knew it would make her happy and itch that anthropology side of her.

“That means a lot to me,” she said. “What’s being authenticated?”

“I’ll tell you the whole story when we get in and order.” Shawn promised.

~*~

She wasn’t surprised when her phone vibrated later that night. She fingered the one gold coin that she’d allowed herself to keep, and she picked up the phone and typed out her message.

_See you out front._

She didn’t have to wait long for the motorcycle to pull up, and she secured her helmet and settled onto the back, wrapping her arms around Shawn’s waist. He took off, and Riona just let the purr of the engine relax her. She greatly enjoyed her nighttime rides with Shawn, no matter how few and far between they were.

Shawn stopped at the pier, and Riona wrapped her arm around his when they got off the bike. She always waited for him to talk. Sometimes, it was obvious what was bothering him—like now, with his Uncle Jack—but she never knew if he wanted to talk about what was bothering him or if he just wanted to ignore it and needed some company to help distract him. So, she waited quietly, leaning into him.

“Am I not serious enough?” he asked suddenly.

“What’s got you worried about that?” she replied, turning her head up just so to catch his gaze.

“Just something my dad said about not wanting me to _be_ the fun uncle.” Shawn sighed.

Riona pressed her face into his shoulder. “You’re as serious as you need to be, Shawn. I know that your attitude isn’t necessarily the most _professional_ , but honestly, the cases I get to work with you are refreshing. They remind me that it’s okay to be human when working, that I don’t _have_ to shove everything into a box. I mean, I still shove things into a box, because otherwise I would spend a lot more time crying on cases, but you’re not Jack. You’re not just blowing through life. Look at what you and Gus have built! You’re incredible.” She pulled him down into a sitting position, and she gave him a smile.

“I spent a long time blowing through life,” he said softly.

“And? Jack’s still doing that. He nearly got you and Gus killed. At least when you run into danger, it’s a biproduct of the job. You have a _career_ , Shawn. You save lives. You’re a good man, and I’m glad you’re my friend.” She pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

“Not as glad as I am,” he said. “How is it that you’re always awake when I need some late-night company?”

Riona shifted, pulling back slightly. It was a defensive posture, because she knew that it wasn’t the most healthy behavior. “I, um…I sort of just live off of maybe 5 hours of sleep a night.”

“Ri, how do you live like that? You have a mentally exhausting job.” He blinked at her slowly.

“Better than the nightmares,” she replied.

Shawn rubbed her shoulders. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. She really did appreciate him, and she appreciated how much he indulged her touchy-feely nature. It felt really nice to be able to just relax with him. 

“See? Just serious enough,” she said.

“Thanks, Riona.”


End file.
